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:: Saturday, November 21st, 2009Constantine
"ELATE NA THN PARETAI" ("COME AND TAKE HER"). Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI Paleologus to the Turkish Sultan Mehmet II upon his demand to surrender Constantinople.Please visit these local CapeCodToday sponsors:
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Welcome to my Blog
12/01/05 · 11:48 pm :: posted by Constantine
December, 1st 2005
Dear Readers,
Welcome to my Blog. As somebody who is very passionate about history and politics I am thrilled to become a contributor to the Blogosphere and be part of the incredible transformation of the media landscape that has been facilitated by citizen journalists. As somebody whose day job is actually in the mainstream media I am very cognizant of the shift that is taking place from a top down media distribution environment into a more grassroots environment where citizens are creating, sharing and consuming media on scale never seen before - all because of the awesome power of the Internet. Big government and big media have vested interests in presenting the news as they see fit and the denizens of the Blogosphere have started to uncover the realities of power in our age but there is much more work to be done. My Blog will focus on illustrative aspects of history and political events that have shaped our world. Hopefully I can point out some lessons that can be learned for us to create a better future.
I am fortunate to have been instilled with a great love of history from my Grandfather, may God rest his soul, and he challenged me to use my knowledge of history to help enlighten the citizens of our great republic about the things that really matter in life like honoring our past and working united to create a greater “civil Body Politick” as the Pilgrims put it that cold day in November of 1620 when they formulated the Mayflower Compact in Provincetown Harbor. My mother's ancestors come from the famous village of Selymbria which is 60 miles west of Constantinople (modern Istanbul) on the Sea of Marmora. My grandfather Constantine sailed to "the city" which is what Constantinople was called by the Greeks before he was exiled to become a stranger in a strange new land - America! In my previous life as a college journalist my fellow students commented that my op-ed articles were “deep and intriguing” so I hope that I can recapture some of my gravitas from those days of my youth.
America stands as a great experiment in contrast to a world that was for most of its history torn with tyranny and oppression. The challenge of history sits heavy as our forefathers worked to create a great and just government that is ours to uphold in an age of national malaise and self doubt about the direction of our beloved republic. As an ongoing war tears at the fabric of unity in our country we have a lot to ponder. Benjamin Franklin was famous for his comment on the way out of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787 when asked what kind of government they had crafted – “A republic if you can keep it” he replied. And so my dear Cape Codders - we who live on this history filled peninsula have challenging times ahead of us and it is imperative that we raise our voices against injustice and dishonesty both here and all over the world. American society has become deaf, dumb and blind in some respects to the true requirements of democracy that our illustrious leaders feel compelled to lecture the rest of the world about. A Jeffersonian democracy requires an educated and engaged populace that will call government to account when it fails in its mission or worse subverts the greater good for the aggrandizements of the powerful elite. Yes we have a republic – the question is - will we be able to keep it or just the pretty facade of what it once was. Until next time.
Sincerely,
Constantine
Dear Readers,
Welcome to my Blog. As somebody who is very passionate about history and politics I am thrilled to become a contributor to the Blogosphere and be part of the incredible transformation of the media landscape that has been facilitated by citizen journalists. As somebody whose day job is actually in the mainstream media I am very cognizant of the shift that is taking place from a top down media distribution environment into a more grassroots environment where citizens are creating, sharing and consuming media on scale never seen before - all because of the awesome power of the Internet. Big government and big media have vested interests in presenting the news as they see fit and the denizens of the Blogosphere have started to uncover the realities of power in our age but there is much more work to be done. My Blog will focus on illustrative aspects of history and political events that have shaped our world. Hopefully I can point out some lessons that can be learned for us to create a better future.
I am fortunate to have been instilled with a great love of history from my Grandfather, may God rest his soul, and he challenged me to use my knowledge of history to help enlighten the citizens of our great republic about the things that really matter in life like honoring our past and working united to create a greater “civil Body Politick” as the Pilgrims put it that cold day in November of 1620 when they formulated the Mayflower Compact in Provincetown Harbor. My mother's ancestors come from the famous village of Selymbria which is 60 miles west of Constantinople (modern Istanbul) on the Sea of Marmora. My grandfather Constantine sailed to "the city" which is what Constantinople was called by the Greeks before he was exiled to become a stranger in a strange new land - America! In my previous life as a college journalist my fellow students commented that my op-ed articles were “deep and intriguing” so I hope that I can recapture some of my gravitas from those days of my youth.
America stands as a great experiment in contrast to a world that was for most of its history torn with tyranny and oppression. The challenge of history sits heavy as our forefathers worked to create a great and just government that is ours to uphold in an age of national malaise and self doubt about the direction of our beloved republic. As an ongoing war tears at the fabric of unity in our country we have a lot to ponder. Benjamin Franklin was famous for his comment on the way out of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787 when asked what kind of government they had crafted – “A republic if you can keep it” he replied. And so my dear Cape Codders - we who live on this history filled peninsula have challenging times ahead of us and it is imperative that we raise our voices against injustice and dishonesty both here and all over the world. American society has become deaf, dumb and blind in some respects to the true requirements of democracy that our illustrious leaders feel compelled to lecture the rest of the world about. A Jeffersonian democracy requires an educated and engaged populace that will call government to account when it fails in its mission or worse subverts the greater good for the aggrandizements of the powerful elite. Yes we have a republic – the question is - will we be able to keep it or just the pretty facade of what it once was. Until next time.
Sincerely,
Constantine
7 comments
Blog posts and comments are entirely the thoughts and ideas of the people who write them and in no way represent the views of CapeCodToday.com, eCape, Inc., or its employees or owners.
Magical Eye [Member] writes:
Whoa, Constantine welcome! Can't wait for more of your posts.
Anonymous [Visitor] writes:
Hey, are you the guy from American Idol?
If you get my point, you'll keep it "entertaining".
If you get my point, you'll keep it "entertaining".
CC Rockhopper [Visitor] writes:
Welcome to the this wonderful world of ,,,, well welcome to this group of misfits, where all can speak our minds. and share our thoughts, looking forward to reading what you have. Go to it, partner!
Jack Coleman [Visitor] writes:
You are a welcome addition to the mix, Constantine. Another great anecdote attributed to Franklin, one that you are probably familiar with - after John Hancock affixed his signature to the Declaration of Independence, large and bold so King George couldn't miss it, Hancock is believed to have said to the other delegates of the Continental Congress, We must hang together through this.
To which Franklin replied - Oh yes, or we most assuredly will hang separately.
To which Franklin replied - Oh yes, or we most assuredly will hang separately.
Solon [Visitor] writes:
Wonderful blog, Constantine. You are keeping alive a great history in this world where even last week is quickly forgotten.
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About This Blog
Constantine Palaeologus XI was the last of the Emperors named Constantine, and a ruler of wisdom and courage.
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